Being an Art teacher at Williamstown High School has been a wonderful and extraordinary experience.

This year Williamstown High School celebrates it’s Centenary Year, of which I have been the teacher of Art and Design in the school for 30 years. In that time the teaching of Art and Design has always been exciting, watching so many talented, creative and inspiring students surprise me with their imaginative energy. Being an Art teacher is a privilege and one that requires dedication, hard work, and a passionate understanding that every child is creative and every child should be given the tools to take that creativity beyond the classroom. My students have achieved many awards in Art, Design and Photography competitions over the years, which has been a highlight for me and the students involved.

I have always offered extra curricular activities to the students to extend them beyond the classroom.

One of those activities has been the Young Researchers program at the National Gallery. This is where students are able to spend three days working in the gallery, with an artist on a special project, usually related to an exhibition or event at the gallery. Our students have been attending every year since the program began. The students always come back to school invigorated and creatively extended through their experiences. This is an enrichment program beyond the school walls and can give them a mature insight into exploring their passion for Art and Design. This program has been so highly successful that the school hopes to develop their own unique Young Researchers program for Year 9 in the future.

The Arts need to be revered in every school program and placed as a priority in both the Primary and Secondary curriculum.

Creativity needs to be at the forefront of preparing our students in a world where they may have many jobs in the future. Creative people invent, imagine, problem-solve, create, and communicate in fresh, new ways. Every business requires creative thinkers in the form of scientists, engineers, medical researchers, technology innovators, business entrepreneurs, artists, performers, writers and illustrators, designers, inventors and educators.

Those with the ability to “think outside of the box” will lead the future.